In Grim Fandango LucasArts once again sends the player on an absurd and strange journey: this time even into the Land of the Dead...and beyond. This both dramatic and mystical story about crime and corruption makes use of "Film Noir", the film genre with cool heroes, equally cool women and difficult situations. But it also is full of stupid gags about Manny Calavera (the hero), an employee of a travel agency in the Land of the Dead. In other words, nothing new for the LucasArts Adventure Department!

So Manny sits in his travel agency and has to sell the trip to the beyond to the dead person (economy version or luxury) in order for them to get there for their eternal rest. Manny's best friend is Glottis, a big, fat, but very lovable demon, whom he takes motorcycle trips with. And when Manny grabs his scythe and drives to the next poisoning to collect the newest dead person, it is thrilling.

Depending on the life lived by the dead person, Manny can shorten the normally 4 year journey to the great beyond(bottom line: be noble and good-natured in life). The more luxury journeys Manny sells the earlier he can stop working and enter the everlasting resting place himself. But, for some peculiar reason, Manny only gets the losers who aren't eligible to take the luxury journey because of their behavior during life.

In time, he begins to smell a rat and eventually realizes that he is surrounded by crooks. He can no longer continue as before. And so an adventure begins that not only can cost him his job but can also endanger his very soul...

Grim Fandango really can't be compared with another LucasArts Adventure; even
comparisons with others in the adventure genre is difficult. So it is easy to believe when their PR Department declares that the game is the "most ambitious graphic adventure LucasArts ever developed" (Barbara Gleason). Tim Schafer, the developer of "Full Throttle", has taken a new approach with the story about Manny. The game plays in a completely 3D world with all movement controlled by just a few keys or the joystick. The best choice is to use a game pad. It might seem to be more difficult at first, but it is easiest to use in the course of the game and doesn't distract from the atmosphere of the story.

But the fact that will most please the Adventure-hungry gaming community is this: in this game the skill level has almost reached its old standard. Anybody who can play through Grim Fandango in one day should worry about burning out his brain...

Is there anything more to say? The graphics are detailed, colorful and lovingly rendered. A 3D Accelerator is supported but not required. The atmosphere is exciting and could hardly be more detailed: with 90 locations the extent of the game is enormous and the puzzles are tricky.

Hopefully the gang from San Francisco will produce more quality games like this one!